Page 102 of Done with You

Rayma’s eyes met Oona’s in the mirror, and her chin wobbled. “It’s not a party, Mom. It’s my wedding.”

Their mother just rolled her eyes and looked away, clucking her tongue again, and taking in Rayma and Jordan’s bedroom with complete disapproval. “I mean, you already know that I totally disapprove of the idea of you marrying a police officer. It’s as if you girls are doing this deliberately to defy me. To keep me up at night with worry. First, Pasha marries a SEAL or whatever Heath is, and now you’re marrying a police officer. Their jobs are dangerous. He may not come home one day, you know? Then what? Then you’ll be alone. And God forbid you have children and they end up fatherless because you couldn’t marry a man with a safe job like an accountant or lawyer.”

Oona swallowed. “We can’t control who we fall in love with, Mom. Jordan is a good guy, with an honorable job.”

Rayma ground her teeth loud enough, the upstairs neighbors probably thought there were mice in the walls.

“At least Triss and Mieka are with men who left their dangerous lives behind and work with horses. Though Mieka is living in sin with Nate.” Their mother shook her head, brown eyes filled to the brim with disapproval. “And horses can be unpredictable. You can die falling off one. I just don’t understand why my daughters couldn’t find men with safe careers. Careers that didn’t perpetually put them in harm’s way.”

She picked up an object off Rayma’s nightstand and scrunched her nose as she stared at it trying to figure out what it was. She couldn’t figure it out, then set it back down, turning toward Rayma who stood in front of the full-length mirror.

“And why the low back? It just feels completely unnecessary and as if you’re trying to show off your body. Nobody needs to know what your bare back looks like besides your husband. And there are going to be other people’s husbands there. How do you think their wives are going to feel with you parading your body around like that, making their men look at you? What are you trying to prove, Rayma? Really?” Her head shook some more. “You really haven’t changed, have you? It’s always all about Rayma. What Rayma wants. Nobody else matters.”

Rayma’s dress happened to be an absolute work of art. It was tasteful and gorgeous and suited Rayma to utter perfection. With frilly cap sleeves, a sweetheart neckline and a low back that had just a small delicate lace tie at the nape of her neck, the dress was a fitted off-white lace gown that pooled at her feet and had a small three-foot train. There was nothing overly provocative or unnecessary about it and up until the moment Rayma put it on for their mother, she’d positively glowed when she wore the dress. Now, she was deflating like a balloon with a pin prick and the light around her was fading.

Oona walked up behind her and untied the small lace tie at her neck, then started to unzip the zipper at Rayma’s bum. “Let’s get you out of this, kiddo,” she whispered.

Rayma stepped out of the dress and immediately covered her breasts until Oona quickly passed her her bra.

Rayma and Oona had no nudity issues with each other, but like hell would they ever let their mother see them naked.

Not only because she would probably find something to pick them apart for like boney hips or a bit of tummy fat, but also because all of the Young sisters had tattoos and their parents absolutely loathed tattoos.

Rayma made sure that her underwear hid the tattoo on her hipbone, the matching one that all the sisters had, but she needed to get dressed fast if she wanted to keep her belly button piercing a secret from their mother.

But Yanna Young wasn’t even paying attention as Rayma got dressed, she was too busy laying Rayma’s dress out on the bed and trying to burn it to a pile of ash with her laser vision of judgment.

Not that she liked him, but thank God for Aiden taking their mother away, because if she’d stayed around Rayma any longer, Oona probably would be up on charges for murder by now.

Oona, Rayma, and Jordan were still up and in the living room chatting, with wine and potato chips fulfilling their evening peckishness when Aiden knocked on the door later that night, and Jordan let him in.

The man looked like he’d been in a car accident.

Which made sense considering he’d just spent the entire day with Rayma and Oona’s parents. Oona often felt like she’d been side-swiped by an eighteen-wheeler after spending more than a few hours with her mother.

But a part of her also snickered on the inside that Aiden had gone through it.

Served him right after his comment to Rayma earlier that day about taking a shot of tequila to calm her nerves.

Karma could be a bitch.

“Dude,” Jordan said, stepping out of the way, “what happened?”

“Our mother happened,” Rayma said, a little tipsy from the wine. “I’d say he’s in pretty decent shape, all things considered.”

“Need some tequila?” Oona asked with a smirk.

Jordan and Rayma both snorted.

Aiden blinked a bunch of times, but he didn’t say anything as he toed out of his boots and sloughed off his jacket. Jordan hung it up for him.

Rayma seemed to realize at the same time as Oona that something more than just an afternoon with their parents had Aiden looking like he’d seen a ghost, then been run over by a van full of them.

Rayma got up from her seat. “What happened?”

Aiden was still doing that weird, deliberate blinking thing, then he started to shake his head. “Just watched a guy break a bunch of speed laws, run a red, swerve all over the road and roll his SUV into a ditch.”

“Fuck,” Rayma and Jordan said at the same time.

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